Thirty-five members of Congress urged the Federal Aviation Administration this week to avoid consolidating engineer jobs at nine locations, a move that would result in a loss of jobs in Hawthorne.

About 130 engineers work at the FAA’s Hawthorne office, which serves Los Angeles International Airport. Engineering jobs would also be lost at FAA offices in Chicago; New York; Kansas City, Mo.; Anchorage, Alaska; and Burlington, Mass.

“Safe and efficient air travel requires engineering and support services that are accessible and convenient for the airports and air travelers that rely on them,” wrote congressional leaders, including South Bay Reps. Maxine Waters, D-Los Angeles, and Jane Harman, D-El Segundo, whose districts include LAX.

The FAA has not yet reviewed the letter, according to Ian Gregor, a spokesman for the agency.

“We will consider the contents of the letter carefully and respond to the senators and representatives as quickly as we can,” Gregor said.

The FAA has already consolidated services twice since 2005, resulting in a loss of several jobs at the agency’s Hawthorne office.

The FAA consolidated administrative and technical support service employees from Hawthorne to Seattle in 2006. The previous year, the agency relocated financial accounting services from Hawthorne to Oklahoma City.

The House of Representatives in September approved the FAA Reauthorization Act, which would prohibit the agency from consolidating operations without prior approval from Congress. The Senate is expected to consider the matter sometime this year.

“In the meantime, the FAA should not move forward with plans to consolidate the regional offices without congressional consultation and oversight,” wrote the members of Congress.

“Therefore, we recommend that you suspend all plans to consolidate the FAA’s engineering services and consult with members of Congress regarding the future of the FAA’s regional offices and the services performed by these individuals.”